After returning from a week in Cabo San Lucas, a much needed vacation that I gave to my family for enduring a year of me being deployed to Iraq, at midnight last night (Saturday), I could not sleep until watched the DVR of the game on Thursday night. We could not get the game in Cabo, as ESPN Deportes carried some soccer match. I knew that we lost, as my daughter's fiancé is an MSU grad, and I watched the replay of the final play on ESPN's web page. I anticipated talking about the game at length and the season in review, but I received a text message early this afternoon that gave me pause to wait until this event happened (or didn't happen) to write my blog. Here goes.
1. We absolutely blew the Egg Bowl. Wish there was a better way to put it, but the truth is what it is. We played well enough to win, but we found a way to lose. We didn't really find any rhythm on offense and made multiple mistakes that cost us momentum. The JE fumble was huge, as it lead to a 10-14 point swing. JRP had a huge fumble that lead to MSU points, missed a couple of reads on the read play, and missed the hole a couple of times, one time in particular on the same fake reverse play that he scored on against LSU. Had he turned up like he did against LSU instead of going wide, he had a bigger hole than he did against LSU to run. the presence of Willie Gay on the MSU defense was huge and JRP seemed to be looking for him (and rightly so) most of the night. Tweaking his ankle was possibly bigger than it was advertised. At any rate, we failed to move the ball consistently at critical times. This ended up costing us.
2. MC came in and did an admirable job. It was a head scratcher to me, as JRP had taken the snaps the whole game and then MC comes in down 7 in the 4th, but he made some good throws and ended up leading the potential tying drive at the end. What was head scratching to me was, why? We seem to have decided to move forward with JRP, but we turn to MC with the game on the line? Then, after MC threw the telegraphed interception (he stared and then forced the ball) he was the guy that was inserted with the game on the line. Glass half full, he led the team down the field, made a big play on 4th and 25, and then threw the touchdown to EM with 4 seconds left. Glass half empty, he hit a lucky play where the defense blew it on 4th and 25, and then got a couple of lucky calls by the officials to aid the drive. The truth is probably in the middle. The middle for MC, in my opinion, is admirable. He overcame a lot of adversity and doubt, probably some self doubt as well, and made the plays to give us a chance. Kudos to him. I hope he does whatever is best for him. I still believe, based on the coaching search, JRP is the way forward.
3. The defense played fairly consistent. We have struggled with getting off the field on 3rd down all year. We struggled with that in this game. We gave up some big plays in big situations. We missed a bunch of tackles. All of these things are consistent with how we have played all year. That said, we played hard, we were lined up correctly most of the time, and it seemed like we were well prepared for what MSU threw at us, even when they went to Schrader after Stevens scratched. We had a chance to tie or win the game at the end due to the defense's play. The job CMM did with this team is undervalued. I sincerely hope he lands a HC gig somewhere due to his efforts this year. That said, I reiterate what I have said here all year, we need better players. We need defensive linemen, we need defensive backs, and of course, we need linebackers. Here is a scary thought for us OM fans, linebacker will be our strength on defense next season, especially if Momo Sanego can come back full strength.
4. Special Teams..... Oh boy. CPT ( I am actually a Major) Obvious here says that we need to get better here. I felt so bad for LL when I heard what happened. I felt even worse last night (this morning) when I saw it on tape. That said, most OM people probably felt that he would miss it. That is the bad part. He should have never been in that spot, not just because of EM's actions, but because we should have had a better player there. Just my opinion. One scholarship every 4 years is not too much to invest. I bet Alabama goes out and lands a top notch kicker this year. Wait a minute, Alabama has missed more kicks in the last ten years than any other school. Maybe they won't. Anyway, back to OM. We have to have a better kicker. That is all there is to it.
5. EM..... man oh man. What a tragic decision he made. I am not going to beat a dead horse here. I am going to say this. You absolutely can not judge a 19-21 year old person, heck, any person of any age, based off of an emotional decision made in the heat of the moment. All the folks calling for him to be kicked off the team and demanding to know what discipline he was getting obviously have never been in a locker room, part of team, in charge of molding young lives. You simply do not throw people away like garbage over a bad decision. That will catch up to you quick. I really hope that he grows from this and it becomes a rock bottom moment in his playing career and life. That said, we obviously have not done a good job of emphasizing situational awareness, "we over me" and the concepts of class and respect. Further, why did he have the NWO belt, parading around, after he did that? Why was he on the onside kick team after he did that? That is serious questions to ponder.
6. About the MSU rivalry. We have got to get over ourselves and decide who we are and what we want to be in this rivalry going forward. I have found myself disagreeing with Neal more recently than in the past, but he is ABSOLUTELY spot on about the high ground being lost in this with MSU. I say again, OM has lost the high ground. We have been punked by MSU, and the image we have painted for ourselves is not pretty. I have told my players for all of my 27 years of coaching that talking crap doesn't win games, that selfish actions based on emotion will cost the whole team. We always talked about the 2nd person, the reactor, always looks the worst and gets the penalty. MSU players, in the 2 times I have watched the tape, seemed to be the aggressor and initiator of most of the "chippiness", but we fell into the trap, got punked, and looked terrible in our reactions. The ONLY way to deal with talkers is to beat them so bad that they finally just shut up. We have to decide if we are going to be trash talkers and have a bad boy image, OR if we are going to take the high road. Be one or the other and own it. This in between crap is worst case scenario.
7. Well, all the Luke haters got their dream to come true. I have publicly advocated for CML to get another year. I have disclosed my personal relationship with Matt. I hate this for him and his family. He was told he would get 3 years to show progress. 2020 is that timeline. He inherited a total mess. He recruited well. Not great, but well, especially considering the circumstances with probation and the culture that was prevalent. His teams played hard. Every. Game. We had no major scandals under his watch. CML is the kind of guy, if you know him, that you want to be successful, that most normal people would root for. That said, the hand he was dealt was too much to overcome. CML got the job based on an emotional decision made as a result of the Egg Bowl in 2017. I guess it was fitting that he got relieved based on another emotional decision based on the actions of a single player in the Egg Bowl in 2019. Was CML in over his head? Perhaps. Is that his fault? Was he overpaid? Perhaps. Again, was that his fault? I have never seen a person vilified by so many for taking his dream job, accepting the money he was offered, and giving his best to the school he loves, regardless of his credentials. CML guided Ole Miss through a very tumultuous time, held his fingers in the dam, unlike others, such as the Arkansas coach or even the Washington State coach that so many are enamored with. For these reasons, I say THANK YOU to Matt Luke. History will judge him better than the present.
8. Who should we get? Folks, whomever it is, we HAVE to get this right this time. I have a personal opinion, on this, and since it is my post, here it is. Lane Kiffin, who has been fired in midseason twice, seems like Houston Nutt after Ed Orgeron. I took my 12 year old daughter (a senior at Ole Miss now) to the Ole Miss-Arkansas game in 2009. After we won the game 30-17, the fans in VHS were trolling the Arkansas fans, chanting "Houston Nutt, Houston Nutt". She said, "Dad, they are chanting his name, don't you wish our fans (high school) would do that for you?" I said to her, "Honey, these same people will be screaming for him to be fired in 2 years." Lane Kiffin = Houston Nutt. That said, I am not fired up about Norvell either. The skeletons, will be an issue. That is all I will say. One of those two will probably be the guy. Personally, I think our best way forward is Bryan Harsin at Boise State. Solid. Steady. Consistent. I think it is definitely a conversation worth having. Whomever it is, we have to get it right this time. Here is to hoping that the process is thorough and legitimate.
That is all.
1. We absolutely blew the Egg Bowl. Wish there was a better way to put it, but the truth is what it is. We played well enough to win, but we found a way to lose. We didn't really find any rhythm on offense and made multiple mistakes that cost us momentum. The JE fumble was huge, as it lead to a 10-14 point swing. JRP had a huge fumble that lead to MSU points, missed a couple of reads on the read play, and missed the hole a couple of times, one time in particular on the same fake reverse play that he scored on against LSU. Had he turned up like he did against LSU instead of going wide, he had a bigger hole than he did against LSU to run. the presence of Willie Gay on the MSU defense was huge and JRP seemed to be looking for him (and rightly so) most of the night. Tweaking his ankle was possibly bigger than it was advertised. At any rate, we failed to move the ball consistently at critical times. This ended up costing us.
2. MC came in and did an admirable job. It was a head scratcher to me, as JRP had taken the snaps the whole game and then MC comes in down 7 in the 4th, but he made some good throws and ended up leading the potential tying drive at the end. What was head scratching to me was, why? We seem to have decided to move forward with JRP, but we turn to MC with the game on the line? Then, after MC threw the telegraphed interception (he stared and then forced the ball) he was the guy that was inserted with the game on the line. Glass half full, he led the team down the field, made a big play on 4th and 25, and then threw the touchdown to EM with 4 seconds left. Glass half empty, he hit a lucky play where the defense blew it on 4th and 25, and then got a couple of lucky calls by the officials to aid the drive. The truth is probably in the middle. The middle for MC, in my opinion, is admirable. He overcame a lot of adversity and doubt, probably some self doubt as well, and made the plays to give us a chance. Kudos to him. I hope he does whatever is best for him. I still believe, based on the coaching search, JRP is the way forward.
3. The defense played fairly consistent. We have struggled with getting off the field on 3rd down all year. We struggled with that in this game. We gave up some big plays in big situations. We missed a bunch of tackles. All of these things are consistent with how we have played all year. That said, we played hard, we were lined up correctly most of the time, and it seemed like we were well prepared for what MSU threw at us, even when they went to Schrader after Stevens scratched. We had a chance to tie or win the game at the end due to the defense's play. The job CMM did with this team is undervalued. I sincerely hope he lands a HC gig somewhere due to his efforts this year. That said, I reiterate what I have said here all year, we need better players. We need defensive linemen, we need defensive backs, and of course, we need linebackers. Here is a scary thought for us OM fans, linebacker will be our strength on defense next season, especially if Momo Sanego can come back full strength.
4. Special Teams..... Oh boy. CPT ( I am actually a Major) Obvious here says that we need to get better here. I felt so bad for LL when I heard what happened. I felt even worse last night (this morning) when I saw it on tape. That said, most OM people probably felt that he would miss it. That is the bad part. He should have never been in that spot, not just because of EM's actions, but because we should have had a better player there. Just my opinion. One scholarship every 4 years is not too much to invest. I bet Alabama goes out and lands a top notch kicker this year. Wait a minute, Alabama has missed more kicks in the last ten years than any other school. Maybe they won't. Anyway, back to OM. We have to have a better kicker. That is all there is to it.
5. EM..... man oh man. What a tragic decision he made. I am not going to beat a dead horse here. I am going to say this. You absolutely can not judge a 19-21 year old person, heck, any person of any age, based off of an emotional decision made in the heat of the moment. All the folks calling for him to be kicked off the team and demanding to know what discipline he was getting obviously have never been in a locker room, part of team, in charge of molding young lives. You simply do not throw people away like garbage over a bad decision. That will catch up to you quick. I really hope that he grows from this and it becomes a rock bottom moment in his playing career and life. That said, we obviously have not done a good job of emphasizing situational awareness, "we over me" and the concepts of class and respect. Further, why did he have the NWO belt, parading around, after he did that? Why was he on the onside kick team after he did that? That is serious questions to ponder.
6. About the MSU rivalry. We have got to get over ourselves and decide who we are and what we want to be in this rivalry going forward. I have found myself disagreeing with Neal more recently than in the past, but he is ABSOLUTELY spot on about the high ground being lost in this with MSU. I say again, OM has lost the high ground. We have been punked by MSU, and the image we have painted for ourselves is not pretty. I have told my players for all of my 27 years of coaching that talking crap doesn't win games, that selfish actions based on emotion will cost the whole team. We always talked about the 2nd person, the reactor, always looks the worst and gets the penalty. MSU players, in the 2 times I have watched the tape, seemed to be the aggressor and initiator of most of the "chippiness", but we fell into the trap, got punked, and looked terrible in our reactions. The ONLY way to deal with talkers is to beat them so bad that they finally just shut up. We have to decide if we are going to be trash talkers and have a bad boy image, OR if we are going to take the high road. Be one or the other and own it. This in between crap is worst case scenario.
7. Well, all the Luke haters got their dream to come true. I have publicly advocated for CML to get another year. I have disclosed my personal relationship with Matt. I hate this for him and his family. He was told he would get 3 years to show progress. 2020 is that timeline. He inherited a total mess. He recruited well. Not great, but well, especially considering the circumstances with probation and the culture that was prevalent. His teams played hard. Every. Game. We had no major scandals under his watch. CML is the kind of guy, if you know him, that you want to be successful, that most normal people would root for. That said, the hand he was dealt was too much to overcome. CML got the job based on an emotional decision made as a result of the Egg Bowl in 2017. I guess it was fitting that he got relieved based on another emotional decision based on the actions of a single player in the Egg Bowl in 2019. Was CML in over his head? Perhaps. Is that his fault? Was he overpaid? Perhaps. Again, was that his fault? I have never seen a person vilified by so many for taking his dream job, accepting the money he was offered, and giving his best to the school he loves, regardless of his credentials. CML guided Ole Miss through a very tumultuous time, held his fingers in the dam, unlike others, such as the Arkansas coach or even the Washington State coach that so many are enamored with. For these reasons, I say THANK YOU to Matt Luke. History will judge him better than the present.
8. Who should we get? Folks, whomever it is, we HAVE to get this right this time. I have a personal opinion, on this, and since it is my post, here it is. Lane Kiffin, who has been fired in midseason twice, seems like Houston Nutt after Ed Orgeron. I took my 12 year old daughter (a senior at Ole Miss now) to the Ole Miss-Arkansas game in 2009. After we won the game 30-17, the fans in VHS were trolling the Arkansas fans, chanting "Houston Nutt, Houston Nutt". She said, "Dad, they are chanting his name, don't you wish our fans (high school) would do that for you?" I said to her, "Honey, these same people will be screaming for him to be fired in 2 years." Lane Kiffin = Houston Nutt. That said, I am not fired up about Norvell either. The skeletons, will be an issue. That is all I will say. One of those two will probably be the guy. Personally, I think our best way forward is Bryan Harsin at Boise State. Solid. Steady. Consistent. I think it is definitely a conversation worth having. Whomever it is, we have to get it right this time. Here is to hoping that the process is thorough and legitimate.
That is all.
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